Situated in the middle of downtown Banff, the Lezyne Criterium course is a technical one-kilometre loop featuring a hairpin turn on Banff avenue. A mid-afternoon rain let up just in time for the last of the "Little Crits" races for children, and in time for the cruiser crits, which saw participants out in full force with a wide variety of bikes and costumes.

The pleasant weather brought out lots of spectators who lined the course anticipating the great racing spectacle that criteriums dependably deliver - high speeds, sprinting, and crashes.

"I was pretty worried about the rain, but it all cleared up before our race," said Dean Mitchell (Biccisport), who placed second in the 22-lap Cat 5 Men's race. "But I had a lot of fun - it was a great course!"

Mitchell's team mate, Justin Warsylewicz won the race, with Chris Hooper (Speed Theory) in third.

Mike Sidic (Team H&R Block) won the 26-lap Category 2/3 Men race, ahead of Robert Martens (unattached) and Mackenzie Garvin (Cyclemeisters) in third.

Women

The 26-lap Open Women's race went off the line hard, this being Stage 3, and the last event for the women to determine the final General Classification.

"The race was really aggressive, and really technical - there were a lot of crashes," said eventual winner Leah Kirchmann (Trek Red Truck). The race came down to a sprint finish, won by Kirchmann, with Leah Guloien (Total Restoration) in second, and Julie Beveridge (Vienne Futuroscope) taking the third spot on the podium.

"Andrea Bunnin (Team Saskatchewan) attacked on the last lap, and got a pretty good gap, and no one was chasing her," continued Kirchmann. "So I chased her down, and managed to hold on for the sprint."

Tara Whitten (Specialized Mazda Samson G Conseil) was 7th on the stage which was enough to give her the overall win. Beveridge finished second overall while Laura Brown (Total Restoration Cycling Team) took the last spot on the final GC podium.

Invited Men

The Lezyne Criterium was the third and penultimate stage for Invited Men. The 50-lap race was extremely aggressive from the gun, with multiple attacks from Team H&R Block. With 39 laps to go, Aaron Schooler (Team H&R Block) and Beijing Olympic Triathlete Paul Tichelaar (ERTC/Revolution) went off the front. The pair worked well together, ultimately lapping the field, and rejoining the pack with 15 laps to go.

Schooler and Tichelaar

The final outcome saw Schooler cross the line ahead of Tichelaar amidst the sprinting pack to take the win. Team H&R Block continued to prove itself a force to be reckoned with, setting up a lead out train for Justin Kerr, highest among them on the General Classification, for the sprint for third - and the team delivered, with Kerr snagging the final spot on the podium.

"We wanted to make this a hard race," commented Schooler. "We wanted to move up in the General Classification, and we also wanted the stage win. And we did it the hardest way possible!"

Ian Mckissick (Lenovo Cycling Team) maintains his hold on the leader's jersey with Dave Vukets (Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes) in second while Tichelaar is now third overall following his performance in the criterium.

The Invited Men conclude their competition on Sunday with the Stage 5 Tunnel Mountain Road Race.